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Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture

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I recall a quote from Robert Anton Wilson who said, "Anyone in the United States who isn't paranoid must be crazy." I always thought that was an amusing quote, and it should've shown up in this book, probably! Fenster explores the prevalence of conspiracy theory in American culture in this very academic book. While his writing style is good, I warn you that this book seems aimed at academics, and not your garden-variety conspiracy buffs.

He begins with exploring Richard Hofstadter's work on the paranoid style of American politics, and leaps into studying the militia movement, later focusing on JFK, the X-Files, and other forms of "conspiracy as entertainment" and also examines millennial Christian groups and apocalyptic predictions, etc. Fenster is rigorous in his exploration of conspiracy theories-as he explains in the beginning, he is not detailing the theories so much as examining what they represent, both culturally and individually. In this, he does an excellent job, particularly regarding the militias.

He seeks to get past the old notion of conspiracy theory as pathology to seeing it as a legitimate, if extreme and disempowering expression of popular dissatisfaction with the status quo. This is an important observation: that conspiracy theory, by embracing the idea of all-powerful individual villainy (a secret group behind it all), instead of structural problems (capitalism, American democracy) people can actually affect and change, conspiracy theory saps the strength from people by making them paranoid bystanders to their own lives. But he's clear to point out how the structure of the American political system creates this line of thought, albeit unintentionally-the majority of Americans are marginalized in this society. The tonic for this would seem to be action, rather than taking refuge in conspiracy theory.

Overall, this book is worth your time, but don't read it as a titillating account of conspiracies or you will be disappointed. If you're curious about what makes these things tick, then this book is for you.

....What makes this book special? Whatmakes this book a must read?

The answers are simple, this book has details. This book has facts. This book has information that is hard to find anywhere else. Above all this book isn't conjecture. Fenster's ability to bring to life the conspiracy and what it means to society is nothing short of remarkable.

From the very beginning, we find that author's attention to detail almost incredible. Fenster has taken what society has reduced to nothing more than tabloid trash and revealed secrets that will make you scared and judging from the writing you should be.

Fenster covers Militia groups, JFK, the Millennium, Bill Clinton and other and does it very well. I am certainly glad to have had the chance to read this remarkable book. I would hope the author is in the process of a second edition. Once again - excellent job!

More than fifty years ago the great consensus historian Richard Hofstadter argued in "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" that the particular strain of populism that fosters conspiracy in American culture operates at a fringe of society and represents a threat to the dominant consensus of the nation. We may take exception to Hofstadter's analysis, something Fenster does to devastating effect, but few would disagree that conspiracy theories are much more common than Hofstadter was willing to acknowledge. Indeed, even those who do not accept them as the norm would probably agree with the old adage, "Just because you're not paranoid it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."

Mark Fenster argues in "Conspiracy Theories" that these ideas swirl around us and everyone to a greater or lesser degree buys into them. We could not work effectively in society without sometimes wild explanations. What percentage of the population, for example does not believe there was a conspiracy to assassinate JFK in 1963? Is your theory the same as mine? What evidence supports these assertions?

For Fenster conspiracy theories are something of a mind game we play to help explain what we view as irrational. It is also a way to ease the boredom of our mundane modern existence. Furthermore, it helps to explain an overarching cynicism about contemporary culture and especially politics, which seems both out of reach and impossible to parse. Moreover, it plays to modern society's hidden desires for scapegoating, bigotry, and fascism.

Fenster's short study--only nine chapters with an introduction and an afterword--steps through several key issues. A first section explores the use of conspiracy to shape political thought and action. Here he takes down the marginalization of conspiracism to politics that was so much a part of Hofstadter's consensus historiographical tradition. He then undertakes several case studies of conspiracy, offering sophisticated analyses of the many conspiracy themes surrounding the Clinton presidency, popular manifestations of JFK's assassination and the X-Files, Christian fundamentalist apocalyticism, and the possibility of the theme in cultural studies.

"Conspiracy Theories" is very much a work of scholarship. For those seeking the scholarly situation of the theme into the larger area of American studies, media studies, and cultural analysis and criticism this is a welcome work. For those interested in a more practically and politically motivated discussion this work will be disappointing. As it is, this is a useful place to begin analyzing a complex theme in modern American society.

I got this book with several other similar books, doing some research for one of my clients. For me, it's the best overview of conspiracy theories and why they're so compelling to people. The psychological question of why these stories are so meaningful to some people is the most interesting question.

_Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture_, first published in 1999 and revised and updated in 2008 by University of Minnesota Press, by law professor Mark Fenster is an account of the role of conspiracy theories in American culture from the perspective of an academic. While Fenster ultimately claims that conspiracy theories are futile efforts, his account is far more sympathetic than many of the academic accounts of them. This book examines conspiracy theories as an articulation of populism (a rhetorical style that pits the people against the elite) and that call for a totally transparent form of government. Fenster considers various forms the conspiracy narrative may take on and examines various conspiracy theories and academic explanations for their role in popular culture. The book is heavily footnoted and contains much academic jargon that may serve as a detraction for some readers; however, I feel it is a worthwhile read for what it has to say even though I may not agree completely with Fenster's conclusions.

In the Preface, the author lays out his own personal introduction to conspiracy theories and then explains the structure of this book. This is followed by an Introduction entitled "We're All Conspiracy Theorists Now" which explains what is meant by a conspiracy theory, postulating that a sinister and secret group controls world events, and showing how conspiracy theories have become widespread in modern American culture. The author considers cases such as the "Dark Alliance" and popular works of fiction such as _The Da Vinci Code_ and shows how conspiracy theories have become commonplace. The author then lays out his structure for the book and shows how conspiracy theories can be interpreted within the framework of a populist mode of discourse. Part I is entitled "Conspiracy as Politics". The first chapter is entitled "Theorizing Conspiracy Politics: The Problem of the "Paranoid Style"" and explains how various academics have approached the subject of conspiracy theory. The author considers first of all the explanations of Richard Hofstadter who maintained that a "paranoid style" ran through American culture and opposed what he considered to be "extremism". Hofstadter considered McCarthyism and the rise of the Goldwater movement to be instances of "extremism" marked by conspiracy. However, as the author shows, Hofstadter's arguments reflect a Mandarin view of American politics and a reflection of support for the status quo and the mainstream. The author also considers various progressive critiques of conspiracy theory, such as those coming from Noam Chomsky (whose own work borders on conspiracy theory), Chip Berlet, and various other individuals associated with such groups as the SPLC and the ADL. Many of these individuals seem to focus their energies excessively on small movements (such as Berlet's ridiculous over-emphasis on the LaRouche movement) and express excessive concerns that such movements are not progressive enough. The author then considers the problem of populism. The second chapter is entitled "When the Senator Met the Commander: From Pathology to Populism" and discusses the role of the militia movements (as well as the hysteria over a "militia threat" that grew in the 1990s) and the meeting of various militia members with Senator Arlen Spector. The author shows how the militia movement reflects a populist, decentralized, Constitutionalist right and argues that in their meeting with Spector they largely got the better of him. The author considers the importance of conspiracy for the militia members and the role of populism in pitting the people against the elite. Part II is entitled "Conspiracy as Cultural Practice". The third chapter is entitled "Finding the Plot: Conspiracy Theory as Interpretation" and considers the interpretative structure of conspiracy theories by examining the cases of various conspiracy theories that developed out of the presidency of Bill Clinton. The author considers conspiracy theory as desire and the role of the conspiracy narrative in which a future never comes. The fourth chapter is entitled "Uncovering the Plot: Conspiracy Theory as Narrative" and considers the conspiracy theory as narrative in an effort to uncover a secret plot by examining various conspiracy theories surrounding the death of JFK as well as the role of conspiracy theory in films and shows such as the movies _JFK_ and _Conspiracy Theory_ and the television series _The X-Files_. The fifth chapter is entitled "Plotting the Rush: Conspiracy, Community, and Play" which argues that one obtains a rush of excitement in pursuing a conspiracy theory and that this has led to a mergence of conspiracy and play. The author considers such examples as the books _Illuminatus!_ by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, _Apocalypse Culture_ edited by Adam Parfrey, and the role-playing game GURPS Illuminati (ironically the office of Stephen Jackson creator of GURPS was raided by federal agents for allegedly promoting illegal activities), and the role of the conspiracy researcher Danny Casolaro and his discovery of the "Octopus" secret government and his mysterious death. Part III is entitled "Conspiracy Communities". The sixth chapter is entitled "The Prophetic Plot" and considers the role of end-times prophecy and millenarianism among certain sects of fundamentalist Protestant Christians. This chapter mentions such individuals as Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson, and the authors of the _Left Behind_ series of books as well as the prominent role of belief in the Rapture in their apocalyptic scenarios. In particular, these groups place a particular emphasis on the state of Israel in their conspiracy narratives of apocalypse. The seventh chapter is entitled "A Failure of Imagination: Competing Narratives of 9/11 Truth" and discusses the role of various conspiracy theories that have emerged from the events of September 11, 2001 and the role of the 9/11 Truth Movement. This chapter discusses individuals such as Jim Marrs, David Ray Griffin, Webster Griffin Tarpley, and others who have been active in promoting a conspiracy theory account of the events of September 11. The author considers the issue of holes in the official account and the role of the 9/11 Commission and their findings. Conspiracy theorists believe the 9/11 Commission has a vested interest in the state and therefore cannot be trusted. The author also considers how the 9/11 Truth Movement emerged with calls for further investigation of 9/11 events and for investigation of the conspiracy theories regarding the role of the U.S. government in 9/11. The author ends by considering the 9/11 documentary film put together by university students _Loose Change_ and shows how this film effectively articulates a conspiracy narrative. The author ultimately finds such conspiracy theories unconvincing but does note that the government was responsible for a profound failure to prevent and act on the events of September 11. This book ends with an Afterword entitled "Conspiracy Theory, Cultural Studies, and the Trouble with Populism". The author ends with an examination of conspiracy theories on both the extreme right (noting for example the role of the book _The Turner Diaries_ on Timothy McVeigh) and the extreme left (noting the role of conspiracy theory in certain African-American communities regarding AIDS as a government plot). Ultimately the author concludes that conspiracy theories offer a voice to the powerless but that they effectively nullify any political action that the powerless may take. The author shows how populism may take on various forms independent of political orientation of right or left and the fundamental role that conspiracy theory has come to play as an expression of populism.

This book offers an interesting academic discussion of the role of conspiracy theory within modern American culture. The author claims that conspiracy theory is an articulation of populism, a form of rhetoric that pits the people against the elite. Fortunately, unlike many of the books written by leftist academics on this subject, the author is at least willing to take conspiracy theory seriously and remains somewhat sympathetic even though he ultimately will deny the efficacy of conspiracy theory. As such I believe this book is worth reading for that reason alone, if you can manage to sludge through some rather abstruse academic jargon.

This book covers most of the conspiracy theories popular in the United States. It is a good contributing text to political science courses, and a great volume for those who wish answers about their government's activities. Don't look for answers in this book; it is a book that evokes questions only the reader can answer.

This book challenges and takes the reader to the next level by asking WHY! Why do conspiracy theories exist in American society and culture?

The answers are set in an eloquent academic prose but does tend to "quote" "incessantly" in a "few" chapters which becomes "really" really "annoying." However the author delivers an expectant high level of proficiency in subsequent chapters.

Buy this book if (1) you appreciate academic prose, (2) are fascinated in the WHY theories behind conspiracy in American culture and society and (3) this is your first peek into the genre.

"Conspiracy Theories" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Fenster's book interview ran here as a cover feature on January 20, 2009.

I read a lot, and more than a few books by academics. But even though I was keenly interested in the subject of this book, and what Fenster would have to say about it, I found the reading so utterly dry and boring that I couldn't get even a third of the way through the book. I put it down and came back to it several times, trying to bring a freshness to it. But each time I was drugged to catatonia within a few pages. I gave up trying to read it straight through, and tried skimming and jumping around to get some key points. It didn't help. The author appears more intent on scholarly notes and quotes and references, than on making a clear and readable narrative. Unless you are an academic doing research, or a lay reader with an iron stomach for this kind of material, I would find another book.